8 Travel Apps We're Loving This Summer

On our search for the best in travel, we always count on a trusty selection of smartphone apps to help with directions, share special moments, and pass time when stuck in transit. Here are the travel apps we're downloading for a summer well spent.

Photos courtesy of Stop, Breathe & Think.

Summer travel means traffic. Be mindful. I love the Pasadena-based app for short and sweet meditations on being present and dealing with change. Leave it to crooner KD Lang's uber-chill voice to walk you through anxiety. – Kate, contributing editor

Photos courtesy of Parkside.

Having a car in New York City is both wonderful and its own kind of hell thanks to alternate street side parking rules. The super simple app gives you quick access to the rules and enables push notifications when they are suspended. – Berit, editor

Photos courtesy of Magic Puzzles.

The only app I reach for more often than Mail. (Yes, even more than Instagram.) The free app lets players select difficulty (from 24 to 630 pieces) and designs both free (pics of the day, Renaissance paintings, architectural abstractions) and premium (nature and travel scenes). I'm almost looking forward to an upcoming 4 a.m. layover — the tough jigsaws will make the hours fly. (Almost.) – Pavia, CEO

Photos courtesy of NoWait.

This dinning app displays wait times for nearby restaurants, allows you to put your name down on their wait lists virtually, and texts you when your table is ready. Talk about a time saver. The restaurant directly is limited in some cities, but the app was just acquired by Yelp, so I'd expect that to change in the near future. – Daniel, editorial assistant

Photos courtesy of Goldstar.

Before spending crazy money on shows or events while traveling this summer, check out the plays, concerts, sports games, dance performances, museums, tours, cruises, and classes on Goldstar first. I've gotten great seats at awesome shows for cheap. (Often for half the price the people I sit next to pay.) That includes underground concerts I would've never known about if not for the app. – Helena, editorial intern

Photo courtesy of Wolfram Sun Exposure Reference App.

This is the summer I stay out of the sun. Or I should say, this is the summer I’m careful in the sun, and I’ll be using Wolfram to do it. The app uses your skin type, location, and your chosen SPF to calculate how long you can stay in the sun before burning, and it’s full of useful tools for practicing safe sun. A tan is nice, but staying burn-free is nicer. – Kim, contributing editor

Photos courtesy of Motion Stills.

There's a way to convert all those Live photos you took at the beach into Boomerangs you can upload to Instagram. Download the nifty Google app for iOS, browse through your camera roll, and make magic. It takes about 30 seconds. – Daniel

Photo courtesy of Noisli.

Even though white noise apps are a dime a dozen these days, Noisli was the first one to catch my eyeear for the totally customizable sound mixes. Pick from a variety of ambient sounds including chirping birds or a crackling bonfire, adjust the volumes for each sound, and listen on. Bonus points for the app's clean aesthetic (no cheesy stock photos in this one) and soothing background colors. – Becky, contributing editor